About Pouya Afshar
Artist Bio:
Pouya Afshar is an alumnus from the California Institute of Arts Character Animation department and is a graduate of University of California Los Angeles Graduate Department of Film and Television focusing in Animation and Digital Media. He has exhibited his work as a visual artist throughout the United States and Middle East, including Harold M. Williams Auditorium at the Getty Center, Bovard Auditorium at University of Southern California, Royce Hall at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Monica Art studios, 18th street Art Center, Craft Contemporary Museum, and numerous galleries and art fairs around the world. Pouya has presented his research at Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Southern California, The School of Museum of Fine Arts Boston, University of California Los Angeles, and Residency Unlimited NY. He is the creator, character designer, and producer of the animated series ‘Rostam in Wonderland’ and the co-creator of ‘1PA2PA’ comics and the creator of ‘TEHRAN’ graphic novel. He is currently an assistant professor of art at University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Education and Academic qualifications
Education: Graduate
2007-2009 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA
Master of Fine Arts in Animation (School of Film, TV, and Digital Media)
2004-2007 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (CALARTS), Valencia, CA
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Character Animation (School of Film and Video)
Minor: Natural Science
Academic Teaching Experience
2014-Present UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, Lowell, MA
Assistant Professor of Art, Art Department
Courses: 2D Animation I, Interactive Media, Introduction to 3D Modeling and
Animation, Animation Studio
2013-2014 MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY, Palos Verdes, CA
Lecturer, Film and Video Department
Courses: Motion Graphics and Interactive Design, 2D Animation
2010-2014 ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA HOLLYWOOD, Hollywood, CA
Part-Time Faculty, Animation and Visual Effects Department
Courses: Principles of 2D Animation, Animation Studio, Figure Drawing,
Character and Object Design, Layout and Background Design, Language of
Animation
2012-2013 ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, Santa Monica, CA
Part-Time Faculty, Animation and Visual Effects Department
Courses: Principles of 2D Animation, Character and Object Design
2004-2012 CALARTS COMMUNITY ARTS PARTNERSHIP, Valencia, CA
Animation and Drawing Instructor for:
Sony Pictures Media Arts Program
Inner City Arts: The Dreamworks Animation Academy
Artscool Program in collaboration with LA Unified School District
2009-2011 INNER CITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION, Los Angeles, CA
Part-TIme Faculty, Art Department
Courses: Animation, Figure Drawing
2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, Los Angeles, CA
Guest Instructor, Art Department
Course: Art Education
Pouya Afshar Curriculum
Vitae
SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2021 CRAFT CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM, Los Angeles, CA – TBA
2020 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON. SouthAsian and Islamic Art, Boston, MA – TBA
2020 THE SPACE BY ADVOCARTSY. Out of Character. January. Solo Exhibition. LA, CA
https://advocartsy.com/wp-content/uploads/OUT-OF-CHARACTER-press-release-final.pdf
2018 NICOLAS FLAMEL GALLERY. Out of Character. November. Solo exhibition, Curated by
Yasi Metghalchi. Paris, France, TBA
2018 THE SPACE BY ADVOCARTSY. MOURNBABYMOURN. January. Solo exhibition,
Curated by Roshi Rahnama. Los Angeles, CA
2017 DASTAN GALLERY. MOURNBABYMOURN. Solo exhibition, Curated by Ashkan
Zahraei. July-Aug, Tehran, Iran
http://www.dastangallery.com/solo-exhibition-mournbabymourn-pouya-afshar/
2014 SHULAMIT GALLERY. Romance with the Crow I killed. Solo exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2013 SHULAMIT GALLERY. The Mystery of Suveyda. Two person exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2012 AUN GALLERY. Seven Conquests of Story. Solo Exhibition, Tehran, Iran
2011 AUN GALLERY. Div-e Aaz / The Demon of Greed. Solo Exhibition, Tehran, Iran
2011 18 TH STREET ART CENTER. My Hijab Limitation, not Immunization. Duo Performance.
Santa Monica, CA
2010 AUN GALLERY. Disorderly Scuffled. Solo Exhibition, Tehran Iran
2009 ANNENBERG FOUNDATION. Figure In Motion. Solo exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND SCREENINGS
2019 PEMBROKE COLLEGE, Contemporary PersianMoving Image Art at Cambridge. Sep.
Cambridge, UK
http://persian.pem.cam.ac.uk/news-and-events/fifth-anniversary-cambridge-
shahnameh-centre-persian-studies
2019 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE, Contemporary Photography and Video at
Viewpoint Gallery. October. Irvine, CA
2019 GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE, “American”. March. Huntington Beach, CA
2019 CRAFT AND FOLK ART MUSEUM, Short-listed as a finalist for ‘Focus Iran III;
Contemporary Photography and Video Competition’ at Craft and Folk Art Museum.
January. Los Angeles, CA
http://cafam.org/media/69951/focus-iran-3-_-pr.pdf
2018 ART BRIEF IV: IRANIAN CONTEMPORARY SAN FRANCISCO, Curated by Roshi
Rahnama, Dec, San Fransisco, CA
https://www.artsy.net/show/advocartsy-art-brief-iv-iranian-contemporary-san-francisco
2018 AN ART AND DESIGN COLLABORATION: ADVOCARTSY X RYAN SAGHIAN, Nov,
Los Angeles, CA
https://www.artsy.net/show/advocartsy-an-art-and-design-collaboration-advocartsy-x-
ryan-saghian
2018 TEER ART, “Mossavar-Nameh II” group exhibition, Curated by Hormoz Hematian and
Ashkan Zahraei. June, Tehran, Iran
https://dastan.gallery/exhibitions/198/overview/
2018 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART, Art of The Middle East’s ‘In the fields of
empty days: the intersection of the past and present in Iranian art’ Group Exhibition, May.
Curated by Linda Komarov. Los Angeles, CA
2017 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL, Earth Day Group Exhibition, Curated by
Ingrid Hess. March, Lowell, MA
2016 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART, ‘Rostam in Wonderland’ series. Art of The
Middle East’s ‘Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East’s exhibition, Curated
by Linda Komarov. January, 2016. Los Angeles, CA
http://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/reading_room/Islamic_Art_Now_PartTwo_LACMA.pdf
2015 AUN GALLERY. Creative Art, Innovative Science. Group Exhibition, November. Tehran, Iran
http://www.aungallery.com/en/exhibitions/past/creativeartinnovativescience
2015 UNIVERSITY OF ADAM MICKIEWICZ /ART BRIDGES, December, Kalisz. Poland
2015 CRESCENT MOON PROJECTS. Screening of ‘Rostam in Wonderland’ Series, Curated
by Cyrus Samii. Access Theater NYC, March. NY, NY
2014 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. Screening of “Voided Loom: Kelardasht’s Carpet”, November.
NY, NY
2013 SKIRBALL CENTER – “Noor film festival screening of Rostam in Wonderland: Sohrab’s
Blood”, Los Angeles, CA
2012 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART – “Farhang short film festival” screening of
“Rostam in Wonderland: Sohrab’s Blood”. Los Angeles, CA
2012 GETTY’S PACIFIC STANDARD TIME. “Three Weeks in January” by Suzanne Lacy,
Video Projection by Pouya Afshar, held in conjunction with LACE’s LA Goes Live. Los
Angeles, CA
2012 FARJAM COLLECTION – ‘Chants from Paradise’. Special screening of “The Voided
Loom”. Dubai, UAE
2011 THE VORTEX. La vs. War. Art for peace in the hope era, Group Exhibition. Los Angeles, CA
2011 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART – “Farhang short film festival” screening of
“The Voided Loom”. Los Angeles, CA
2011 ROYCE HALL – UCLA. Sima Bina and Lian Ensemble visual performance. Los Angeles,
CA
2011 NIL GALLERY. Group Exhibition. Tehran, Iran
2011 SANTA MONICA ART STUDIOS, ARENA 1. Evolution/Revolution; The Interconnectedness of All Beings, Group Exhibition. Santa Monica, CA
2008 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (USC), Visions and Voices, Mystic Love
and Personal Transformation’ visual performance and video projection. Los Angeles, CA
2007 HAROLD M. WILLIAMS AUDITORIUM, THE GETTY CENTER. The J. Paul Getty Trust,
Sounds of LA, Video projection and visual poetry. Los Angeles, CA
2006 GALLERY 1919. El Gallo Café, Group Exhibition. Los Angeles, CA
2005 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, ‘Out of Character’ Exhibition under Cornelius Cole III’s direction, Group Exhibition. Valencia, CA
ART WORK OBTAINED BY MUSEUM
2019 CRAFT CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM, ‘Displaced II’. 2018, Los Angeles, CA
2016 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART, ‘MournBabyMourn’ site specific installation for Art of The Middle East’s permanent collection to be exhibited within ‘In the fields of empty days: the intersection of the past and present in Iranian art’ Group Exhibition in May 2018 , Los Angeles, CA.
2015 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART, ‘Rostam in Wonderland’ Series.
Art of The Middle East’s permanent collection, Los Angeles, CA.
Lectures and Presentations
2019 ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, April 2 nd . Phoenix, AZ
Islamic Art History course. Artist lecture. Invited by Lynda Komaroff. 2018 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, January. Los Angeles, CA.
Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media. Artist Lecture and Master class. “Art and Catharsis: How I use Art as a tool to cope”. Invited by Celia Mercer
2017 HARVARD UNIVERSITY, November. Cambridge, MA
Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations Department. Invited by Sheida Dayyani
Screening of “The Voided Loom: Kelardasht’s Carpet” at Professor Sheida
Dayyani’s Intermediate Persian class.
2017 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON, March. Boston, MA
Participating in the selection of the next Islamic Art paintings’ rotation for 2017.
Invited by Laura Weinstein
2016 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, October. Los Angeles, CA
Middle Eastern Studies. Artist Lecture and presentation. “Animation Trends in
Iran After the Revolution”. Invited by Laurie Brand
http://dornsife.usc.edu/events/view/807405/animation-trends-in-iran-after-the-
revolution/
2016 RESIDENCY UNLIMITED, July. Brooklyn, NY Lecture and presentation. “Animation Trends in Iran After the Revolution”, Invited by Boshko Boskovic
http://residencyunlimited.org/programs/animation-trends-in-iran-after-the-
revolution-w-pouya-afshar/
2015 HARVARD UNIVERSITY, December. Cambridge, MA
Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations Department.
Screening of “Rostam in Wonderland: Sohrab’s Blood”. Invited by Sheida Dayyani
2015 STANFORD UNIVERSITY, November. Stanford, CA. Hamid and Christina Moghaddam Program in Iranian Studies Artist Lecture and presentation. “Animation Trends in Iran After the Revolution”. Invited by Abbas Milani
http://iranian-studies.stanford.edu/media/audio/animation_trends_in_iran_after_the_revolution
2015 HARVARD UNIVERSITY, November. Cambridge, MA
Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations Department. Invited by Sheida Dayyani
Screening and artist talk – “The Voided Loom: Kelardasht’s Carpet”.
2015 SCHOOL OF MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, October. Cambridge, MA. Department of Print and Graphic Arts,Artist talk and screening of “Rostam in Wonderland”. Invited by Neda Moridpour
2014 SHULAMIT GALLERY, Venice, CA. Young Collectors’ night – Arist talk, Shulamit Gallery, “Romance with the Crow I Killed” series
2014 SHULAMIT GALLERY, Venice, CA. Che Khabar/What’s New? – Artist talk, Shulamit Gallery, “Romance with the Crow I Killed” series
2014 ARTWORX LA, Los Angele, CA. Animation workshop series, (Formerly The HeArt Project,
combats L.A.’s epidemic high school dropout crisis with a long-term sequential arts program) – Sep – May 2013 SHULAMIT GALLERY, Venice, CA
Che Khabar/What’s New? , Artist talk – Shulamit Gallery, de-noue-ment (n.) exhibition with Doni Silver Simon
2013 SHULAMIT GALLERY, Venice, CA Venice Art Walk and Auctions: Artist lecture -Yeki Bood, Yeki Nabood: Live Storytelling Event
2013 CITYU HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China. Run Run Shaw Creative Media Center Lecture series. School of Creative Media, Artist Lecture. Topic: Multi-Media and Hybrid Form
2013 SHULAMIT GALLERY, Venice, CA. Venice Art Crawl: Off the Wall: Performance & Video Art Evening, Artist talk, “Shahnameh (Book of the Kings), Myths and Music”
2013 AUN GALLERY, Tehran, Iran. Artist talk, “Seven Conquests of Story” series
2012 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY DOMINGUEZ HILLS, LA, CA. Art and Design Department, Artist Lecture. Topic: Interactive motion Graphics
2012 IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE, Irvine, CA. School of Fine Arts – Artist Lecture. Topic: Animation and Visual Development
2012 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, New York, NY. Tisch School of the Arts – Artist Lecture
Topic: Animation process and visual development.
2011 RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Riverside, CA. Art Department – Artist Lecture
Topic: Animation industry and education
2011 INSTITUTE FOR THE INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS, July. Tehran, Iran. Animation Department – Artist Lecture. Topic: Animation industry and Visual Development
2010 TABIAT-GARD INSTITUTE, August. Tehran, Iran. “House of Artists, Tehran” – Artist Lecture, Topic: “Productive Art and interactivity with nature”
2010 VIJHE INSTITUTE OF DESIGN, August. Tehran, Iran. Art Department – Artist Lecture and Workshop. Topic: Visual Development and the process of making an animated film
GRANTS
2018-19 FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR AWARD, August to December. Izmir, Turkey
I have been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant to pursue my research at Yasar
University in Izmir for the Fall Semester of 2018.
2016-17 CREATIVE ECONOMY GRANT, June. Lowell, MA
My grant proposal for ‘Community Animation Partnership: Creating A Platform for
Dialogue Through Animation’ was awarded for 2016-17 year executed at Lowell
High School. Grant amount: $18,760
2015 CREATIVE CAPITAL GRANT, October. New York, NY
Finalist for the 4 th and final round of Creative Capital Grant for ‘Crystal Clear’
project
2009 VINCENT E.DEFRANCES SCHOLERSHIP, Los Angeles, CA
University of California Los Angeles’ Vincent E.Defrances scholarship ($4000) for
achievement in animation
2009 EDIE AND LEW WASSERMAN FELLOWSHIP, Los Angeles, CA
University of California Los Angeles’ Edie and Lew Wasserman Fellowship in
Animation for the film “Little Prince, made 2009”
2008 FOUR SISTERS SCHOLARSHIP, Los Angeles, CA
“Felicia D.Henderson, Gina Prince‑Bythewood, SaraFinney-Johnson and Mara
Brock Akil — have teamed up to help students in UCLA’s School of Theater, Film
and Television to do the same with a $50,000 endowment
2006 WALT DISNEY SCHOLARSHIP, Burbank, CA
CalArts’ Walt Disney Foundation Scholarship ($5000) for achievement
excellence in animation
2005 MARC DAVIS SCHOLARSHIP, Valencia, CA
CalArts’ Marc Davis Scholarship ($4000) for achievement excellence in Visual
Development and Character Design
ART FAIRS AND AUCTIONS
2018 ART DUBAI, “Mossavar-Nameh” group exhibition, Curated by Hormoz Hematian and
Ashkan Zahraei. March, Dubai, UAE
http://www.artdubai.ae/gallery/dastans-basement-2018/
2017 ARTNET CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EASTERN AUCTION, June. Los Angeles, CA
Participated in Artnet’s second Contemporary Middle Eastern exhibition at The Space by
Advocartsy titled “The Poetics of Diaspora”. Curated by Bibinaz Zavieh
2017 ARTNET’S CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EASTERN AUCTION, Online Group Show,
Curated by Bibinaz Zavieh. Feb, NY, NY
http://www.artnet.com/artists/pouya-afshar/past-auction-results
2015 VOLTA-NY. Cotemporary Art Fair, Curated by Shulamit Nazarian. March. NY, NY
2015 PHOTO LA. Shulamit Gallery’s group show, Curated by Shulamit Nazarian .January. Los
Angeles, CA
2014 HOUSTON FINE ARTS FAIR. Shulamit Gallery’s group show, September. Houston, TX
2013 ART MIAMI FAIR – CONTEXT. Miami, Florida. VISUAL WORKS CITED, REVIEWED, IMAGE PUBLICATION, CATALOG LISTING
2019 HARPER BAZAAR ARABIA- EMERGING IRANIAN ARTISTS TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT
AT FARHANG FOUNDATION IN LOS ANGELES. , Mention and visual citation. Danielle
Shang, May 02
https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/art/exhibitions/the-farhang-foundation
2018 BLOUINART- AT LACMA, A WINDOW ON IRAN TODAY, Richard Chang, Sep 05, Los Angeles, CA “MournBabyMourn” cited and featured.
http://ca.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/3241221/at-lacma-a-window-on-iran-today
2018 ARTASIAPACIFIC – IN THE FIELDS OF EMPTY DAYS, Jennifer S. LI, Aug/Sep Issue
109, Los Angeles, CA “MournBabyMourn” cited
https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=704654465078070;res=IELHSS
2018 NEW YORK TIMES – 3 KNOCKOUT ART SHOWS TO SEE IN LOS ANGELES RIGHT
NOW, Holland Cotter, Aug 16, Los Angeles, CA https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/arts/design/hammer-museum-fowler-museum-
Lacma-review-los-angeles-art.html
2018 UMASS LOWELL NEWS – FULBRIGHT TIMES TWO FOR ART AND DESIGN, David
Perry, July 27, Lowell, MAhttps://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2018/fulbright.aspx
2018 OCULA MAGAZINE – IRANIAN ART AT LACMA: IN THE FIELDS OF EMPTY DAYS, Perwana Nazif, June 12, Los Angeles, CA “MournBabyMourn” cited and featured.
https://ocula.com/magazine/reports/iranian-art-at-lacma-in-the-fields-of-empty-days/
2018 GUARDIAN LIBERTY VOICE – LACMA IRANIAN ART EXHIBITS TROUBLED
HISTORY, Dyanne Weiss, May 5, Los Angeles, CA
“MournBabyMourn” cited and featured. http://guardianlv.com/2018/05/lacma-iranian-art-exhibits-troubled-history/
2018 ARTRIBUNE – IN LOS ANGELES, IN THE FIELDS OF EMPTY DAYS, AN EXHIBITION
ON IRAN DESPITE TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN, Desiree Maida, May 7, Los Angeles, CA
“MournBabyMourn” cited and featured.
http://www.artribune.com/dal-mondo/2018/05/los-angeles-in-the-fields-of-empty-days-
mostra-iran-travel-ban-trump/
2018 ART DAILY – EXHIBITION AT LACMA EXPLORES THE INTERSECTION OF PAST
AND PRESENT IN IRANIAN ART, Editorial, May 6, Los Angeles, CA “MournBabyMourn” cited and featured. http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=104406 – .Wu53JNPwYXo
2018 WIDEWALLS – THE PAST AND PRESENT OF IRANIAN ART INTERSECT AT LACMA, Andrey V, May 3, Los Angeles, CA “MournBabyMourn” cited and featured.
2018 ARTFIXDAILY – LACMA EXPLORES IRANIAN ART, PAST AND PRESENT, IN NEW
EXHIBITION, Editorial, May 7, Los Angeles, CA http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/print/9824-lacma-explores-iranian-art-past-and-present-
in-new-exhibition
2018 LACMA PRESS – IN THE FIELDS OF EMPTY DAYS: THE INTERSECTION OF PAST
AND PRESENT IN IRANIAN ART, Erin Yokomizo, Feb 22, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/In-the-Fields-of-Empty-Days-Press-Release-
2.22.18_0.pdf
2018 COUNTERPUNCH – IRAN ON FOUR WHEELS POLITICS THROUGH THE PAYKAN’S
REAR WINDOW, Alison Aziz, January, Los Angeles Our joint documentary film with Neda Moridpour “Agha Nasreen: Ehausted 74” cited.
2018 LOS ANGELES TIMES – IRANIAN ARTIST POUYA AFSHAR’S ‘EN MASSE’ IS A
MEDITATION ON MOURNING, By Deborah Vankin, Jan 23, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-pouya-afshar-20180116-story.html
2018 KAYHAN LIFE – MENTO’S DEATH LA ART EXHIBITION BY POUYA AFSHAR, By
Fred Parvaneh, Jan 21. Los Angeles, CA
https://kayhanlife.com/mentors-death-inspires-la-art-exhibition-pouya-afshar/
2018 LA REVIEW OF BOOKS – WHEN ART BECOMES CATHARSIS: EN MASSE AT THE
SPACE BY ADVOCARTSY, By Melissa Karlin, Jan 24. Los Angeles, CA
https://blog.lareviewofbooks.org/reviews/art-becomes-catharsis-en-masse-space-
advocartsy/
2018 LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE – 11 BEST THINGS TO DO IN L.A. IN JANUARY, By
Marielle Wakim. January 3. Los Angeles, CA
http://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/guide-january-2018/
2018 ARTILLERY MAGAZINE – POUYA AFSHAR SOLO EXHIBITION EN MASSE, January.
Los Angeles, CA. https://artillerymag.com/events/pouya-afshar-solo-exhibition-en-masse-2/
2017 AFP (FRENCH PRESS AGENCY) – IRAN’S BLOOMING ART SCENE: A BUBBLE OF
HOPE, Erick Randolph| October 1. Tehran, Tehran
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4939664/Irans-blooming-art-scene-bubble-hope.html
2017 ARTNET FOCUSES ON ART IN THE MIDDLE EAST: 1950S TO THE PRESENT, July
8. NY, NY
http://artdaily.com/news/97172/artnet-focuses-on-art-in-the-Middle-East–1950s-to-the-present#.WWEnI1PytR0
2017 HARPZERBAAAR MAGAZINE – ARTNET’S FIFTH MIDDLE EASTERN ART
AUCTION, July 2. UAE
http://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/art/news/artnets-fifth-sale-of-middle-eastern-art
2017 GOLFTODAY NEWS – ARTNET’S CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EASTERN ART
Muhammad Yusuf | February 17. UAE
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/1b3265ff-ba51-4a94-abed-e8d591ed4fec.aspx
2017 HARPERBAZAAR MAGAZINE – ARTNET LAUNCHES MIDDLE EASTERN ART
AUCTIONS
March 17. UAE http://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/art/news/artnet-launches-middle-eastern-art-auctions
2016 LOWELL SUN – UMASS GRANT TO HELP LOWELL KIDS LEARN FOLK TALES OF
SOUTHEAST ASIA; ONE OF THREE ‘CREATIVE ECONOMY’ AWARDS
Amelia Pak-Harvey | October 10 th . Lowell, Massachusetts
http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_30453453/umass-grant-help-lowell-kids-learn-folk-tales
2016 BOSTON GLOBE – UMASS LOWELL FACULTY MEMBERS INVEST IN COMMUNITY
PROJECTS. Brenda J. Buote | September 16 th . Boston, Massachusetts
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2016/09/16/umass-lowell-faculty-members-invest-communityprojects/ojHlePVdakuWyzZQINGAaI/story.html
2016 UMASS LOWELL NEWS – ANIMATION GETS PERSONAL FOR PROFESSOR
Sheila Eppolito | June. Lowell, Massachusetts
https://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2016/Afshar-Animation.aspx
2016 UMASS LOWELL NEWS – THREE PROJECTS WIN CREATIVE ECONOMY GRANTS
Katharine Webster | June. Lowell, Massachusetts
https://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2016/CreativeEconomyGrants.aspx
2016 UN-FRAMED – Q&A WITH POUYA AFSHAR, ON ROSTAM IN WONDERLAND – by
Stephanie Sykes | April. Los Angeles, California
https://unframed.lacma.org/2016/04/11/qa-pouya-afshar-rostam-wonderland
2016 AARAN GALLERY’S ‘SHAHNAMEH, THE PERPETUAL NARRATIVE’ – by Akram
Ahmadi Tavana | March. Tehran, Iran. Mention and visual citation of ‘Installation for Seven Conquests of Story’ in Aaran Gallery’s booklet and catalogue. Mention and visual citation of ‘Rostam in Wonderland’ in Aaran Gallery’s booklet andcatalogue.
2016 PEMBROKE COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY / ‘SHAHNAMEH IN IRANIAN
CONTEMPORARY ART’ – by Firouza Melville | March. UK
Mention and visual citation of ‘Installation for Seven Conquests of Story’ in the author’s
research paper for ‘Shahnameh Center for Persian Studies’, Pembroke College,
Cambridge University.
http://persian.pem.cam.ac.uk/sites/persian.pem.cam.ac.uk/files/uploads/events/files/ShahnamehThePerpetualNarrative.pdf
2015 VOICE OF AMERICA – “Rostam in Wonderland ” | April 2015 Voice of America’s
Shabahang program. Television Interview –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUa7IL3wBNA
2015 TEHRANTIMES – ‘Digital illustrations | June 2015
http://thetehrantimes.tumblr.com/post/121116036719/a-few-digital-illustration-characters-among-so
2015 ETEMAD DAILY – “Rostam in Wonderland” mentioned in an interview with Soroush
Rezaee, the Animator of the series | April. http://www.etemaad.ir/Default.aspx?NPN_Id=131&PageNO=8
2014 LA TIMES – ‘Shulamit Nazarian's Venice gallery aims to build bridges’ article By
Deborah Vankin | Oct. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-shula-nazarian-middle-eastern-art-20141001-story.html
2014 ARTRIBUNE MAGAZINE – ‘The disasters of war according to Pouya Afshar. Or a young
Iranian artist in Los Angeles’, Interview with Emanuela Term | June
http://www.artribune.com/2014/06/i-disastri-della-guerra-secondo-pouya-afshar-o-di-un-giovane-artista-iraniano-a-los-angeles/
2014 TEHRANTIMES – ‘Seven Conquests of Story’ series | July
http://thetehrantimes.tumblr.com/post/90670932124/pouya-afshar-book-of-the-kings-series-first
2014 ROMANCE WITH THE CROW I KILLED – Catalogue for exhibition, Essay by Arash
Saedinia | May
2014 ART LTD. MAGAZINE – ‘Pouya Afshar: Romance with the Crow I Killed at Shulamit
Gallery’, Review by Simone Kussatz | May
http://www.artltdmag.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1399674823&archive=&start_from=&ucat=32&
2014 ARTILLERY MAGAZINE – ‘Romance with the Crow I Killed’, Review by Meher McArthur
| July . http://artillerymag.com/pouya-afshar/
2013 FABRIK MAGAZINE – ‘Mystery of Suveyda: Within the Artist’s mind’, Review by Peter
Frank | Feb . http://issuu.com/fabrik/docs/fabrik20
2013 MUFTAH MAGAZINE – ‘Activism Meets Art at [P]art Collective’ by Neda Moridpour | Apr
http://muftah.org/rostam-in-wonderland/
2013 BBC PERSIAN – Review of Rostam in Wonderland: Sohrab’s Blood | Jan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/2013/03/130324_l44_losangeles_film_festival.shtml
2012 SEVEN CONQUESTS OF STORY – Catalogue for exhibition, Essay by Leo Hobaica |
Jul
2012 IRANIAN.COM – Review of ‘Seven Conquests of Story’ | Aug
2011 GOLESTANEH MAGAZINE – Review – ‘Demon of Greed’ by Sara Moridpour | Oct
2011 DEMON OF GREED – Catalogue for exhibition, Essay by Sarah Moridpour | Jul
2010 GOLESTANEH MAGAZINE – Interview – ‘The Tragedy of an Artist’ Interviewed by
Sarah Moridpour | Jan
2010 LA TIMES – ‘CalArts program creates opportunity for kids’ by Mike Boehm| Apr
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/30/entertainment/la-et-calarts-20100430/2
2010 DISORDERLY SCUFFLED – Catalogue for exhibition, Essay by Marjan Hormozi | Jul
2009 MONTAGEFILMREVIEWS – Review of ‘Stay Tuned’ titled ‘Do touch that dial’ by Rob
Gallagher.
http://www.montagefilmreviews.com/blog/archive/short_film/s/SF_Stay_Tuned_2007_dir_Pouya_Afshar_4th_February_2009.html
FILMOGRAPHY
LA DOLCE VITA, (4:27) 2019
LA DOLCE VITA is the story of a displaced character. Hope, decides to leave his/her war infested city to find a better life abroad. He/She goes on a journey in hope of finding a purpose in life in the new world but encounters a wall along the way.
Strong Place, 2017
This short animated documentary is revolving around the history and life of Native American tribes of Lowell. During my Animation Studio course in Fall 2017, my students and I developed and executed the film in collaboration with Greater Lowell Indian Cultural Association.
Mourn Baby Mourn, 2017 (6:37)
This short film revolves around a personal interest in the Shiite mourning ritual of Ta’zie. The film complements a traveling exhibition and concludes within a site-specific installation at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in May 2017.
Rostam In Wonderland: Ferdowsi Station , 2014 (4:32)
5 th episode of Rostam in Wonderland focuses on the issue of racism in Iran and racist tendencies. This episode also deals with women’s right, homeless children in Tehran and Internet privacy issues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHCfelXcfDo&list=UUogFDmyNfOmVhQp9afbvAjQ
Rostam In Wonderland: Principles of Economics , 2013 (5:26)
4 th episode of Rostam in Wonderland deals with the problems that residence of Iran experience with
currency exchange and inflation issues after the sanctions of 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP1Ruka33gY&list=UUogFDmyNfOmVhQp9afbvAjQ
Rostam In Wonderland: Great Transactions , 2013 (8:24)
3 rd episode of Rostam in Wonderland focuses on the issues of real estate and everyday life
transactions and how the mentality of cheating in those transactions are over-ruling the community asa trend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMViCKUqgPM&list=UUogFDmyNfOmVhQp9afbvAjQ
Rostam In Wonderland: Esfandyar’s Challenge , 2013 (7:35)
2 nd episode of Rostam in Wonderland deals with the issue of drugs and drug trafficking in Iran
especially in public parks of Tehran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfUb2WbLt4&list=UUogFDmyNfOmVhQp9afbvAjQ
Rostam In Wonderland: Sohrab’s Blood , 2012 (6:44)
1 st episode of Rostam in Wonderland focuses on multiple everyday-life issues of an Iranian resident living in Tehran using Rostam, the ancient hero of Persia, and his endeavors in the 21 st century Iran. The issue of sanctions on medicine is the main plot of this episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knq5wKf3RO4&list=UUogFDmyNfOmVhQp9afbvAjQ
Hecate: Queen of Witches , 2012 (13:00)
Bewildering events and bizarre images cast a surreal landscape in the life of Ally-an ordinary
neglected & conflicted suburban Goth girl. Is it a dream, a day dream or reality ?.. when she
encounters Hecate, The Dark Mother Goddess who reveals to Ally the truth of her own inherent divine nature. Ally, the Goddess Apprentice, discovers that nature will nurture her & if she listens to her inner & Hecate’s directive (her Fairy-Goddess Mother) she can come home to know herself, accept herself, forgive herself, self integrate and demonstrate personal power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceEX31rzDY&list=UUVvMc9ccPUqyb5lRlhUAuHA
Pajhar , 2011 (7:30)
PAJHAR is a short animated film about a Kurdish shepherd name Pajhar and a Black Mulberry tree. The Black Mulburry is considered sacred in Kurdish regions of Western Iran and should never be chopped off by human hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0f1pfXF7l4&list=UUVvMc9ccPUqyb5lRlhUAuHA
Voided Loom: Kelardasht’s Carpet , 2011 (10:00)
The Voided Loom is a unique story of Kelardash’s Carpet: a video documentary that portrays the ties between culture, emotions and the environment of a community which gave the primeval folklore of carpet weaving its form and generation to generation permanence.
Kelardasht’s Carpet weaving, the art and practice of hundreds of years old, was a memento of immigration of an ethnic group but unfortunately it has not gained the reputation it deserves and it is in the verge of extinction. What you will see, hear and experience in this documentary is a visual perspective of a two-year study of this region and its carpet weaving art. Collaboration between [P]ART COLLECTIVE and Sarah Moridpour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBzx7P1CIHQ&list=UUVvMc9ccPUqyb5lRlhUAuHA
Death of a Gas Guzzler , 2011 (1:18)
This video is a collaboration with Luis Aponte the author of the book “Death of a Gas Guzzler’. It
served as teaser for his documentary film with the same title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py6Zdp5YLKc&list=UUVvMc9ccPUqyb5lRlhUAuHA
Mr.Nasreen; Exhausted 74 , 2011 (19:08)
Nasreen Davoodi also known as Mr.Nasreen (Agha Nasreen) or Haaj Davood is a taxi driver in
Tehran. She started driving a cab eight years ago and has continued to do so all these years despite all sorts of complications in a country such as Iran. She has a very unique character and what drives her to be patient with the crazy traffic of Tehran is her family and their comfort. This film is just a glimpse of what she deals with everyday and the difficulties of her job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzkHkPqD9ps&list=UUVvMc9ccPUqyb5lRlhUAuHA
Beating Heart of the Beast , 2009 (5:30)
This short film is a very surreal take on the socio-political scene of Iran after the presidential elections in 2009.
Zaal , 2008 (4:13)
This short film served as my MFA thesis at University of California Los Angeles. It revolved around the story of Zaal, Rostam’s father from Ferdows’s poetry book ‘The book of Kings’. The story is about Zaal, his lover Roudabeh and the ancient Tanbour, a lute played in Kurdish regions of Iran.
Dawn , 2007 (1:38)
This personal short film is about the journey of the artist within him/her self and the relationship that one has with his/her body of work.
Savaar , 2007 (4:07)
This video is compilation of different versions of the Savaar Maqam (melody) in the Kurdish Maqami music repertoire.
Little Prince , 2007 (2:48)
Animation made at UCLA based on Antoine de Saint Exupéry's novel ‘The Little Prince’.
Rumi , 2006 (4:07)
A visual poetry project, animated and directed by Pouya Afshar and Will Kim. This film was made at
UCLA animation workshop in 2006. Tanbour by Seyyed Amrollah Shahebrahimi.
Stay Tuned , 2005 (2:08)
Short video about television broadcasting and what programs we choose to watch. This is an abstract narrative revolving the life of a character living in solitude in a lighthouse. Made at CalArt’s Character Animation Department.
Clouds , 2004 (3:20)
A surreal look at world events through well-known art works from a variety of artists. Made at CalArts.
Homeless , 2002 (1:30)
A short film about a homeless man who draws a house for himself on the wall but gets thrown out by the imagery occupant of the house, a stick figure.